Let’s be clear: MAGA Republicans are LITERALLY trying to bring us back to the 1800s.

This is big news. Thanks to tireless work from USACE HQ and state & local partners, a temporary channel is expected to open as soon as the end of this month & the main channel by end of May.

Their quick work is vital for thousands of workers & families in Baltimore & across MD.

These workers were trying to feed starving people.

The challenge of getting assistance into Gaza is already overwhelming — aid workers from World Central Kitchen United Nations & others shouldn't face death when distributing it. ENOUGH!

My heart goes out to Chef José Andrés 🕊️🥘🍳 and the World Central Kitchen team.

The Netanyahu govt continues to arbitrarily restrict the flow of aid to 2.2 million desperate people in Gaza. 

That’s why 16 Senators & I told President Biden that declaring its recent assurances to be 'credible' would be inconsistent w/ NEW US policy which requires facilitating aid⬇️

17 Senators call on the US admin to find that the Netanyahu Government’s assurances regarding the delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza do not meet the “credible and reliable” test required by National Security Memorandum (NSM)-20.

New: A group of 17 Dem senators is calling on the Biden admin to reject Israel’s assurances that it is not violating international law by restricting aid to Gaza. It comes as the State Dept prepares an assessment w/ potential implications for arms washingtonpost.com/national-secur…

Erik Wasson Steny Hoyer Don’t leave Senator Chris Van Hollen out of this. He chairs the same Approps subcommittee, FSGG, that Steny Hoyer is ranking member on in the House (although big problems were in the House)

“The Senator has fought to bring the new headquarters to Prince George County, Maryland

I've never felt so seen/heard.

UNRWA is vital for distributing food+preventing starvation in Gaza. Any wrongdoing must be investigated, but we must restore funding NOW. Netanyahu's long wanted to dismantle UNRWA—doing so now would be a death sentence for thousands. I’m demanding action: twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

Glad to see this. As I wrote w/Senator Jeff Merkley & others, using our sealift capability to deliver more aid is vital➡️washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/…
 
But we MUST also use US law—incl. the Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act & NSM20—to push the Netanyahu govt to allow more aid into Gaza NOW.

New Interview: I talked to Senator Chris Van Hollen about the different ways that the Israeli government is preventing adequate aid from reaching civilians, his differences with the Biden administration, & why America is not using its leverage with Israel. newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/w…

“While the State Dept has no legal obligation to notify below-threshold arms transfers, using this process to repeatedly end-run Congress – as sales of this quantity suggest – would violate the spirit of the law ... I’ll be seeking more on information these transfers'

Sen Senator Chris Van Hollen responds to today's scoop about the Biden admin quietly approving 100 military sales to Israel saying this seems to 'undermine Congress' important oversight role.' ...

Courage and defiance in the face of brutal oppression. Putin may have silenced Alexei Navalny, but his voice lives on — carried by the millions who dream of freedom, democracy, and a better future for all. wsj.com/world/russia/a…

People in Gaza are starving. And civilians are dying every day—including in today's horrible incident in Gaza City. ENOUGH. President Biden must demand accountability & ensure that large scale deliveries of aid can reach desperate civilians NOW. We cannot be complicit in this catastrophe:

Scoop: The Biden administration gave Israel until mid-March to sign a letter that provides assurances that it will abide by international law while using U.S. weapons and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. My story on Axios
axios.com/2024/02/27/isr…

New — Sens. Van Hollen, Schatz, Lujan & Heinrich write to Biden expressing “concern” about upcoming weapons transfer to Israel “in light of the current humanitarian disaster in Gaza & the developing crisis in Rafah.”

They want commitments/assurances from Netanyahu

Despite what they may claim, Republicans know no bounds when it comes to taking away reproductive rights, including when and how to have a family. The Alabama Court’s IVF ruling needs to be overturned NOW. And I’ll keep fighting in Congress to protect doctors' & patients’ rights.

We cannot back down in holding Putin & his cronies accountable. From the death of Alexei Navalny to their horrendous actions in Ukraine, they must pay a price. And the House GOP must quickly allow the passage of assistance to Ukraine — or be complicit in aiding & abetting Putin.

I applaud Secretary Antony Blinken for taking this important step to reassert U.S. policy against illegal settlements and to advance a viable two-state future where Israelis and Palestinians can live with equal measures of dignity, rights and security.